


autumn ... the year's last, loveliest smile

by nutmeag83



Series: snapshots of autumn [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Autumn, Established Relationship, F/F, Foliage, Friendship, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, One Shot, Picnics, Pictures, Post-Canon, because that's how luna rolls, jumping into a pile of leaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nutmeag83/pseuds/nutmeag83
Summary: Part of thesnapshots of autumnseries, which tells stories of ladies in love during autumn, this story can be read independently.Ginny and Luna goof around while waiting to have a picnic with their friends. That's about it!
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Series: snapshots of autumn [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921387
Kudos: 19





	autumn ... the year's last, loveliest smile

**Author's Note:**

> Title from a poem called “Indian Summer” by John Howard Bryant. I am knee deep into writing the fic that gets Ginny and Luna together (as third in a series where Ginny and Luna are _already_ together. I’m backwards …), but I had to get this little nugget out first. It’s second in the series, but can be read independently. 
> 
> Not beta’d or Brit-picked. Do you think Ginny uses a beta? Hell no, she just marches in, wand waving, and gets the job done.

Luna spun, her golden-touched hair flying around her, arms flung wide, a laugh on her lips. Ginny couldn’t help hugging herself and grinning. Her girlfriend— _her girlfriend_ —was the most amazing, gorgeous person ever. She was the first person to make Ginny genuinely happy, no worries, no strings attached. She knew the honeymoon period would end eventually, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. And she knew this was different from her and Harry, who had had an expiry date from the beginning. There had always been that worry with Harry, the feeling that even having a fun, carefree day was work. Not that she blamed Harry, who had had a terrible hand dealt to him, which he’d shouldered with stoic responsibility. He deserved someone who could make him relax just as much as Luna did for Ginny.

“Let’s jump in a pile of leaves,” Luna said, stopping her twirl. Her yellow jumper was bright against the backdrop of orange and brown leaves, her gray eyes reflecting the sky above them. She twirled her wand, and leaves obediently flew to the spot where she directed them.

Ginny laughed. “Is that a thing people actually do?”

Luna tilted her head, hair a wild halo around her sweet face. “It’s a thing I do. And you, if you want.” She sent a few more leaves flying into the pile thoughtfully. “People fall into snow and make snow angels, why shouldn’t I jump in a beautiful pile of leaves? They’re prettier than snow, and not nearly so cold.” She frowned slightly in that ever-quizzical way of hers. “Though they are a little damp ... But they smell so lovely.”

Ginny had to agree. Autumn had always been associated with the start of school, the crisp highland air of Hogwarts, the start of quidditch season, and now, the beginning of her relationship with Luna. She loved all the seasons, but autumn was just a bit better than the others. She grinned and backed away from the leaf pile, arching an eyebrow at her girlfriend. “Race you to the pile?”

Luna’s eyes met hers with a twinkle of mischief. “Alright.” She followed Ginny to the edge of the meadow, then glanced at her to wait for the mark.

“On three,” Ginny said. Luna nodded. “One.” Ginny dug her back foot into the rain-softened soil. “Two.” She bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity.

“Three!” yelled Luna, taking off before Ginny could react, her orange skirt fluttering behind her like an autumnal flag.

“Oi!”

Ginny took off after her cheating girlfriend, but despite her quidditch conditioning, she dove into the leaf pile moments after Luna had. Leaves flew out in every direction, fluttering down on top of them. Ginny flopped onto her back to watch the colors rain down on top of them. Luna snuggled into her side as their panting calmed back to normal breaths. Neither said anything, content to share this quiet moment.

“You cheated,” Ginny said, putting her hand on top of Luna’s where it lay on Ginny’s chest.

Luna gave her a quick peck on her cheek. “Fine. Yes. I used magic to make the leaves fly up when we landed. They’re prettier that way.”

“Of course you did, but _not_ what I meant, you little cheat.”

“I have no idea what you mean, Ginevra.”

Luna laced their fingers together, and Ginny marveled at again at being able to have this. Despite what they’d both been through in the war, they could still be happy and free, they could still be in love, just like everyone else. She vowed never to take it for granted, to never let it turn into the apathetic mess that ended her and Harry. She _wanted_ to put in the work to keep her and Luna together.

Though she was lying in a leaf pile she’d just jumped into with a girlfriend who cheated to beat her, her cares as far away as the Pacific Ocean, Ginny felt like a grownup for the first time. Before she could revel in the thought, though, a flash from above distracted her.

“Perfect. Stay there, ladies.”

Ginny blinked away the spots in her eyes, but new ones appeared when Neville snapped a few more pictures. She turned her head to meet Luna’s lips for a kiss. Then she sat up, hauling both herself and Luna to their feet so they could greet their friend.

“Since when are you into photography?” Ginny asked, giving Neville fist bump, which Luna followed with a kiss to his cheek.

Neville let the camera hang from his neck as he waved to the rest of the group that had followed him to the meeting spot. “My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday, so I can take pictures of my plants. They kept turning out poorly, so I took a class.”

“He takes pictures of _everything_ ,” grumbled Ron as he put down a picnic basket on the blanket Hermione had just spread on the ground.

“You complain, but I know you stole that picture of you and Hermione when I showed you my dark room,” said Neville accusingly.

“He did. It’s on our mantle.”

“Hermione!”

“As if he won’t see it the next time he visits,” Hermione huffed, laying down charms to keep the blanket dry and bug free. At least that’s what Ginny hoped it was for. She had just climbed out of a pile of moldering leaves and hoped to stay dry and dirt-free the rest of the day.

“Where is Harry?” Luna asked Hermione as she slid her hand back into Ginny’s.

“Meeting running late. He should be here soon.”

As if he heard Hermione, Harry appeared with a small pop, looking flushed.

“You didn’t need to run,” Ginny teased as she and Luna sandwiched Harry in a hug.

“Wha’?”

Ginny poked his cheek. “You’re all flushed.”

Harry ducked out of the hug, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh. Right. Umm, well, didn’t want Hermione to yell at me for being late again.”

Hermione, looking far from yelling, merely shook her head and tried to hide a grin. “Third time this month. What _do_ you talk about at these meetings?” She looked like she knew exactly what those meetings entailed. Ginny frowned in confusion, but Hermione just waved away the look.

“Hey, Ron, did you guys pack any pumpkin pasties?” Harry said, turning to his best friend in a very awkward attempt to change the subject. Ginny raised her eyebrows at Hermione, who mouthed _later_ and went to help her boyfriend pull out food for the picnic.

Curiouser and curiouser. Ginny shrugged. She’d find out eventually. For now, she focused on this rare time spent with old friends. Quidditch would be stealing all of her time soon as the season ramped up, so she wanted to enjoy some down time while she could. She settled on the blanket between her brother and Hermione, Luna taking a seat across from her, next to Neville.

Ginny caught Luna’s eye and smiled. Her girlfriend’s hair shone gold in the newly appeared sun, and her jumper brightened her face. With the backdrop of colorful leaves, she looked lovely. Of course, Luna always looked lovely, but she always glowed extra hard when they were with their friends.

“See? Autumn is the best,” said Luna with a dreamy smile.

Looking around at her friends, Ginny had to agree.

🍁🍂🍁

A week later, a framed photo found its way up onto Ginny and Luna’s mantle. In it, they lay on a bed of colorful leaves, hair spread wild as they cuddled close together. From time to time, their lips met in a soft kiss. But unlike her brother, Ginny didn’t have steal the picture from Neville’s dark room. She just asked.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this one shot inspires you to jump into a pile of leaves this fall!
> 
> P.S. Any guesses why Harry is flushed? 😂


End file.
